


To Trip and Fall

by Karliah



Category: Minecraft (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, Fanfiction, Minecraft, Reader-Insert, Romance, Self-Insert, kinda slow burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-29
Updated: 2018-06-29
Packaged: 2019-05-30 06:37:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,038
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15091130
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Karliah/pseuds/Karliah
Summary: She always had this habit to analyze other people's behaviour and interactions, what had to be said when to appease others, even after she left the village. To be honest though, she had never thought this would save her life one day. Or let that encounter lead to much more than that.





	To Trip and Fall

 - [a little something](https://youtu.be/DqdyyxdZ4cQ) to accompany you on your journey.

 

 

**_Light is easy to love._ **

**_Show me your darkness._ **

**_\- R. Queen_ **

 

When it happened, the night was filled with glittering stars, a majestic full moon and frantic panting.

As she whipped around, her backpack rattling from all the bones she had collected during her hunt and bow already drawn, she certainly did not expect to see what she did. If she was just an ordinary person, she might have screamed upon seeing those white eyes staring straight through her very soul. But she was not, nor did she scream.

Her only reaction was more of a biological nature; her eyes widened, pupils dilated and as adrenaline was pumped into her system, her heart rate picked up. An almost inaudible noise cut through the silence as she released the arrow aimed at his head, the earth beneath her boots giving off an ugly crunch as she turned around and fled. The darkness caused by the absence of the moon made it hard to navigate through the forest.

Jumping over a fallen log, she picked up her pace, using the adrenaline to push herself past her exhaustion to reach the place she knew would be safe for her. It was very much possible that her attempts to shake him off were futile and she was only wasting her energy - but if there was the slightest chance she could escape, she had to try. When her legs finally carried her out of the woods, stumbling through bushes and still growing trees, almost falling, she had to stop for a moment and bend over, trying to catch her breath - she could not remember the last time her lungs had hurt as much as they did at that moment. While she recovered, she turned around, trying to find those ominous glowing eyes, but they were nowhere to be seen. Did she make it or was he just playing with her? After all, the adventurous woman was not quite sure what powers he possessed. Perhaps he could make himself invisible, teleport or fly, she did not know. Of course she had heard myths about him, but people were attention seeking individuals and tended to make up stories that would make them more _interesting_.

An arrow flying past her face was enough encouragement to continue running.

 

•••

 

When they were little, people were always saying that they'd end up as a couple one day. That was before she left the village, being fed up with this boring life. In all honesty, it was quite weird visiting him again. As she got closer to the isolated building on top of the grassy hill, she could barely make out the outlines of a person leaning onto the wooden beam supporting the porch. The sun was already rising behind the cozy house, casting a long shadow over the rest of the hill and herself. Throughout her way to its top, she could feel her boots finally giving way to the nightly moisture of the grass, wetting her feet. It was very uncomfortable, to say the least.

"Haven't seen you in quite a while", he greeted her, his voice deep and slightly hoarse from all the dust he had inhaled throughout his life, and held up his hand for a high-five. The huntress complied but refrained from looking up into his eyes, instead focusing on the object behind him, raising one eyebrow as if to mock him.

"A rocking chair? You make me feel old."

Humming while running his left hand through his hair and turning around, he smiled wistfully. "Yes, a rocking chair. It's quite comfortable actually; I just wish I had a reason to make two of them..." There was the reason it felt strange to visit him, not only because she had turned him down all those years ago when he proposed a marriage, but also because he brought it up every single time they met. After all, they were still teens back then and the last thing she had in mind was to settle down in the village and become another woman stuck in her home, having to cook, wash and care for her children. It would be a lie to say she was not lonely at times, but she had no regrets having chosen the life of an adventurer.

"You could always return to the village, you know that", she said cautiously, trying to change the topic - his love-life or lack thereof was the last thing she wanted to worry about. "How's your knee?"

"Almost fully healed. I hope I'll be able to return to the mines in about two months, I'm sick of doing nothing. And you? Why are you here?" Her eyes, still avoiding him, traveled over the house, over the wood that made up the basic structure and the stones that covered the space in between and created walls and ceilings. Memories of them placing every log, every stone were dancing before her eyes; the proud faces they had when they were finished, hers turning to a grimace that was filled with horror when he got down on one knee right afterwards.

"I just happened to be in the neighborhood." His hand found her wrist and he turned her towards him, forcing her to look at him. Squinting his blue eyes, his gaze piercing her, as if he was trying to figure out whether she was lying or not.

"I know that look", he finally said after some awkward minutes, his grip slowly loosening. "I've seen it plenty times before. You saw him." There was no denying that, she realized that. Of course he'd know, it was only logical. When she only pursed her lips and kept silent, he dragged her inside, still holding onto her arm. The warmth was the first thing she noticed. The second being the considerably larger amount of decoration in comparison to last time; he had a lot of time to himself, after all. With a sigh, she finally sat down on one of the sofas close to the fireplace and stared into the flames.

"Last night, I went into the woods to collect some bones for my temporary vegetable garden. Then I saw him and ran. End of story." Turning her head, she looked at him, elbows on the knees and one hand under her chin.

"So the only reason you came to visit me was because you knew Notch is protecting me and my house." His voice had gotten slightly deeper, leading her to believe he was in fact disappointed. "Now what? You want to stay here the rest of your life? I already offered you that ten years ago." A single tear rolled down his cheek.

"Steve, no, I... fuck. I'm sorry, okay? We had already agreed that it wouldn't work out. I'm not one to bind myself to one place; I'm a wanderer." With hesitation, she lifted one hand and laid it onto his cheek, where he leaned into her touch. "You've always been my best friend and I trust you the most with everything, but I just do not feel that way. It hurts me to see you like this, after all this time you still..." Sitting down beside him, she awkwardly hugged Steve sideways, rubbing his back.

"I know, I should finally let it go, but I just can't. Every night I worry about you getting caught in a monster trap, I know how reckless you can be. And now you met my brother - what do you expect me to feel like?" Rubbing the tears out of his eyes, he turned to look at her, his stomach twisting, knowing she would never be his. Taking a deep breath, he brushed her off and stood up. "The only thing I can do is hoping he's not set on you. Perhaps he was just feeling like scaring some players, it's something he would probably do. Unless you actually want to stay here, I can not help you."

She lowered her head, massaging her temples. "I was afraid you'd say that, but I can't stay either; I'd hate to hurt you even more. Maybe you are right and he won't bother me again. For all I know, he lost me in the woods." A dry laugh escaped Steve's lips, his hand returning to his head to rake through his hair. "What do you know that I don't? Can you tell me anything about him?"

"It's almost impossible to just shake him off. He can teleport, though it costs him much energy to do so. The farther he goes, the more it exhausts him. You should also know that he's in charge of all monsters and can control them, if he desires to." It was obvious that the thought of her walking out the front door, leaving her fully exposed to any kind of harm was stressing him out. "Please, do not underestimate him."

"I won't, I promise. If it would make you feel better, I'll send a letter in a week so you know I'm safe." With a pleading look, she stood up and took a step towards him. "But now I have to go. If he's truly still after me, I don't want to linger here long enough for him to build a trap for me. I'm sorry, Steve." Although his facial expression did not waver, his eyes couldn't hide the utter pain and desperation he felt.

"Stay safe, [Y/N]. Please."

•••

 

It was afternoon when she had finally returned to her temporary home and checked for the last time that she was alone, before opening the door to the abandoned hut, she placed down her backpack and went back outside, grabbed a few logs from the pile next to her and started a fire. Annoyed, she sat down and got rid of her shoes and socks that were completely drenched due to the wet grass she ran through last night; they didn't have a chance to dry yet. Her feet were as cold as ice.

"I'm gonna get sick... shit." As she slowly stretched her cold limbs towards the heat of the fire, her skin began to burn and tingle due to the temperature difference. While her feet warmed up and her clothing dried, the world around her became darker and darker until the birds' lovely singing was replaced by the crickets' chirping and the lights she had placed around the house lit up; and although these very lights stopped monsters from spawning close to her hut, the woman did not want to test her luck and went inside as soon as everything was warm and dry again, sneezing and cursing loudly in the process.

For safety measures, she picked up some broad wooden planks, barricaded the pitiful looking door with them and placed the last one over the middle of the only window so that nothing could get in but she could still look outside. She lit the small amount of wood that laid in the fireplace and sat down on the dusty bed, sorting her belongings in the backpack and listening to the relaxing crackle of the fire. There was a decent amount of bones from the skeletons she had hunted last night that she would grind into bone-meal tomorrow to use it as a fertilizer for her crops; next to them was a backpack with food, basic tools and weapons and left-overs from previous crafting activities. When everything was sorted again, she lifted her arms and stretched, her back in pain from constantly straining it and her legs sore from running so much last night.

That was when she saw some movement outside out of the corner of her eye. Suspecting that it was an Enderman, trying to make holes into the house that protected her from the nightly creatures that were bent on killing her, she reached towards her bow that was leaning against the bedside and stood up, as the wooden board that secured the window blocked her view -

The creature's eyes were not purple, but white.

He had indeed followed her. "Fuck my life." This time, she could not run: Not only was her door blocked by herself, but she also didn't have her shoes on and would probably stumble if she tried to sprint blindly through the forest. Keeping eye-contact with him, [Y/N] took a deep breath, her mind analyzing the situation. If she could somehow avoid death, then that was her preferred option. If he was dead set on killing her, however, she would not beg for her life. It's not as if that would change anything anyway.

_My exit is blocked, I can't get out. Steve told me he can teleport, so he can get in. Which means there's nothing I can do to get away from him._

_He must know that too._

_It's most likely that he expects me to hide in this house which is when he'll teleport inside. At least that's what I would do. He expects me to react like any other player would - and if I do, he'll kill me like any other player. If I don't, then either he'll grow bored of me because I'm not playing his game or be encouraged by my behavior._   _Which leaves only one thing for me to do. Annoy him._

So she did what no sane person in her situation would do. Without breaking eye-contact, she waved and to complete her stunt, she raised an eyebrow as if to say _'You again?'_. As he emerged from the shadows, slowly stalking towards the hut, she lowered her hand again. The way he moved, hands in his pockets, reminded her of a wolf, forcing his prey into a corner. Of course he would want to intimidate her, but she was not one to be easily scared; instead she walked forward to close the distance between her and the window and pried off the rough wooden plank. It would be of no use anyway. This seemed to irritate him as she could see his movement lacking behind for the fraction of a second; what made him finally stop was the last step: opening the only thing that was keeping them separated.

Clearing her throat, she leaned out the window, her voice void of any emotion. "So." He did not react, neither audibly nor physically. Instead of trying to get him to do something by talking, she stared at him expectantly. Her initial shock was gone, any signs of adrenaline flushed out of her system and she waited patiently. Right now, it felt more like a normal, if awkward encounter with some stranger as her eyes stared into his slightly squinted ones, his scrutinizing gaze piercing her, hands buried in the pockets of his dark jeans. The silence had finally became really unpleasant and she still hadn't backed off, nor planned to. The arm that wasn't busy holding her head up hung loosely over the windowsill, completing her indifferent, calm look. It felt like another eternity before he gave in, taking a few steps forward until he stood right in front of her, his left hand propped up on the wall to her right. Yet again, she did not budge, staying right where she was.

He studied her eyes and begrudgingly noted that her pupils were not dilated, nor was her jaw locked. At first he was certain that his new victim was just very good at acting - after all, it wasn't the first time somebody tried to trick him into thinking that they were not afraid, but their body language always betrayed them - this one, however, was not showing any signs of fear. _"Are you not afraid?"_

"Why would I be?" When he just continued to stare, keeping his mouth shut, she elaborated, annoyed. "People fear the unknown, I know what I'm facing." Steve's words echoed in her head as _his_ expression turned grim and cruel.  _Please, do not underestimate him._

With a sinister laugh, he pushed himself off the wall, closing his eerily glowing eyes for a second before fixating her with his glare, his face as cold as stone once again. _"Oh, don't worry, I'll show you the definition of fear. I can't wait to tear you to shreds."_ And he was gone.

 

•••

 

The following days were quite the challenge. Creepers spawned right behind her in broad daylight, Zombies trampled down her vegetable-garden at night, Endermen tried to take the shack she currently resided in apart and yet she couldn't be bothered. In all honesty, the lack of sleep was what annoyed her the most right now. That and the ugly holes in the ground throughout the forest. Since the last encounter with him, she hadn't seen him again, unless you counted the merciless nightmares that haunted her at night, of course.

On the fifth night after another excessive day out hunting, the young woman found a note pinned right next to the door. ' _Still not afraid?' Is he growing bored already?,_ she thought with amusement, crumpled the paper up and let it fall out of her hand to the ground carelessly. In hindsight, it was probably not the best thing to do. As soon as her hand touched the door's handle, it burst into flames, along with the rest of the pitiful excuse of a house.

"Are you kidding me?", she nearly shouted, jumping back to avoid the heat of the fire. Angry at herself because honestly, she should have seen that coming, she quickly walked around the burning hut, trying to see if there was any way to save her belongings, but there wasn't. Through the only window, she could watch her spare clothing, food and left over building material being eaten up by the hungry flames. Until now, she was just mildly annoyed by him, now she was downright pissed. Whirling around, the [e/c] orbs scanned the area until they found what they were looking for: two glowing sinister eyes. Within a second, her hand shot behind her back, pulling her bow over her head and fired at him. Of course she knew that it was a useless in terms of trying to actually hit him; no, she wanted to convey a meaning. 

As predicted, he dodged her attack simply by teleporting on top of the burning house, sitting there unharmed by the flames surrounding him. Thick black smoke rose around his body, ascending towards the now pitch black sky. Not a single star nor the moon were to be seen, the only light was provided by the raging fire that - strangely enough, as if by magic - did not spread, even though there so many trees around it. A cocky grin spread his lips, showing his teeth and he raised his head, staring at her down below.

 _"Run while you still can."_ For a second, she actually considered it, until she remembered their first encounter - he had followed her until now with ease. Running would only waste her energy. With a defiant glare she stared up at him, not moving from where she stood.

"Just get it over with."  If he wanted to kill her now, so be it, she did not fear death. The only thing she regretted was Steve; she had promised to write a letter, to take care for his sake. What else was there to mourn? Her lonely, pitiful life? There was nobody else she was leaving behind, no empty home or any valuables besides what was burning to a pile of ash right now.  Even if it wasn't her time to go yet, she was ready, she had always been ready.

To her surprise, he still continued his game with her, completely ignoring the fact that she was not even playing by his rules. Whirling around upon hearing a familiar noise, she could see one of the disgusting green creatures creeping straight towards her; she did not waste a second and pulled out an arrow from her quiver, aimed and successfully hit her target. The beast hissed as a grey granular substance trickled trough its wound onto the grassy ground. Shooting again, it fell over and disappeared, only leaving small glowing orbs where it once stood. Without giving her a break, he continued spawning more and more monsters until she had to resort to using her sword instead when her quiver was empty. As the sharp blade was swinging left and right, striking down Skeletons, Zombies and Creeper, more and more of the luminous spheres began to pool around her feet. Her breathing became labored and her energy was running low, she fought harder than ever before... and actually enjoyed the challenge. That was until there was no creature left to slay and she looked up at him, confused.

 _"Impressive."_ Immediately after she stopped moving, all the orbs on the ground stuck to her at once and drowned her surroundings in a faint glow, giving off a heavenly chime and blocking her view. If one decided to take a closer look, they would see small glittering particles of gold and green swirling beneath the fragile surface, emitting a beautiful and mysterious aura. However, the huntress did not have the time to admire their beauty as her body absorbed them and she was shrouded in darkness once again. Her brows furrowed in surprise when she couldn't see him on the top of the roof anymore and she spun around, determined to find him again. It seemed the fallen one had different plans, however, as he teleported right behind the young woman as soon she was facing the woods again, the fire still burning bright behind her back. Due to it being the only source of light, she quickly spotted the double shadow in front of her and turned around again, only to be disarmed and pushed back against a tree. As he stared into her eyes, watching the reflection of the raging fire in them, he grit his teeth, frustrated about what he found: nothing. Not a single trace of fear, panic, sadness, nothing. He had stalked her, robbed her of her sleep, burned all her stashed belongings, what else was there left to do? Unknowingly to him, his victim was aware of what he was thinking right now.

 _"Unfortunately for you, this is your end."_ He took a step forwards, closing the distance between them, and closed his hand around her neck, pinning her to the bark of the tree. Another sinister smirk made its way onto his lips, _"How do you wish to die?"_ But then his eyes widened just a tad, his lips flexed. No way - he realized she was trying not to laugh. _"I hope you're aware that I despise it when people find my threats amusing."_

"Honestly, I don't care", she retorted, her lips tugging upwards slowly but steadily. Was this just another way to throw him off-guard or was she absolutely crazy? Whatever it was, it was working. His grip immediately loosened as he became more insecure by the second. The only reason why he bothered dealing with these annoying players was the fear in their eyes and the panic that was flowing through their veins just by hearing his name. But this one did not play his game, hell, she was downright offering her life to him. It was no fun. It felt wrong. His evil grin was long gone, replaced by a thoughtful frown.

 _"You're a weird one."_ And just like that, he disappeared yet again.

Blinking once, twice, the huntress raised her hand and touched her lightly swollen throat. An irritating mix of confusion and happiness took hold of her and she ran said hand through her hair, trying to fix the mess the fight had caused. When it was not sticking out in every direction anymore, she gathered her sword and the arrows that had missed their goal and watched the hut burn. Although she was proud of herself that she found a way out of this situation, it forced her to brood over the reason _why_ it worked in the first place. What was it that made him decide to disappear?

 

•••

 

When the flames had died down, the sun was already peaking out behind the horizon. With a heavy sigh, [Y/N] stood up and stretched her sore muscles. She had spent the whole night contemplating Herobrine's psyche, with no answer to her question. Grabbing her bow, she banned all thoughts about him out of her mind and focused on the task ahead of her: Finding a new temporary place to live. It was easier said that done, as she was looking for something abandoned, ready to be lived in. She didn't want to build something on her own, it would take too much time and effort to do so. As she already told Steve, she was a wanderer, a nomad if you will, never staying longer than two months at most. It would be a waste if she built a new house everywhere she went.

 _Why would you want to wake up to the same scenery every day your whole life, when you could be out there, exploring?_ , she had always told her best friend when they were still kids; and although it was difficult at times, the incredibly beautiful sceneries washed away her regrets every time.

The dirt crunched beneath her feet with every step she took towards the horizon, the small rays of light that fought their way through the forest warmed her skin. Along the way, [Y/N] had managed to find a group of wild chicken where she killed the oldest one with her bow and collected its meat for later use. When the sun had already risen above her head and lowered towards the horizon again, she had traveled quite the distance already, looking for somewhere to stay. Unfortunately, it seemed like Notch didn't want her to find a new home. 

With a sigh, the huntress decided that she should build a small shelter for the night before it got dark. It consisted out of a simple wall and a roof, so that nothing would be able to catch her off guard from behind. Sitting with her back towards the wall, the woman lit a small fire in front of her to roast the chicken; after that she would close off the small space by building the remaining three walls. It was the most basic way of living through the night.

Perhaps she should have seen it coming that the night wouldn't be as peaceful as she had imagined it to be.

" _It is not very clever to sit in the open at night. An adventurer like you should know that, shouldn't you?_ "

Looking up midway through biting the steaming chicken leg in her hands, she stared at his glowing eyes and her [e/c] orbs did not leave him once as she continued to eat.

Stepping out of the shadows, Herobrine slowly approached her step by step and as expected, she did not react in any way until he sat down in front of the fire to her right side. It was only then that her eyes widened a fraction in surprise as he laid down, crossing his arms under his head and stared up at the sky, his deep voice sending shivers down her spine. 

" _Then again, you're no ordinary adventurer._ "

"You have a nice voice." At that, he turned his head to look at her, raising his brows in curiousity. The huntress threw the remaining bones of her food into the fire and stared at him in return.

" _And why is that?_ "

"It's deep", she answered. "It reminds me of dark chocolate. Or thunder on a stormy night. It's actually a pleasant thing to listen to as long as you're not threatening to end someone's life."

" _Mh. I always liked to think it was intimidating and commanding, but I can live with dark chocolate, I guess._ " Upon hearing her laugh he had to grin although not wanting to. It felt wrong to be here, talking to this mortal, but he liked the change.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you then", she chuckled, gazing towards the sky again. "Though I was wondering, why are you here?" No response. With a sigh she realized that he was gone again.

 

•••

 

A few days had passed. During that time, [Y/N] was able to reach a small city and exchange collected leather and furs for new clothing. As she threw her worn out shoes into the trash, a man approached her. He had brown hair and dark eyes and his tanned skin was covered by beige, light clothing. _He must come from the desert_ , she figured.

"I hope I'm not bothering you, but I was wondering if you could help us", he spoke with a thick accent, rolling the r's. "I saw you at the tailor earlier, you must be a fellow traveller , right?"

The young woman nodded. "What do you need?"

"Me and my friend lost our map in the woods and now we're stranded in this town. The people here are nice but they know nothing about the world out there. I was wondering if you could show us the way back home."

"Sure. I was actually going to leave now, so if you want to, you can come with me. I was heading towards the desert anyway", she said. It was not uncommon for foreigners to ask her for the way. Her way of dressing, clad in light leather armour with a sword dangling from the belt on her hip, a bow hanging over the shoulder and a worn backpack resting on her back made it easy to recognize her as an adventurer. People like her were usually well versed in topography and geography and could find their way even without a map.

The stranger nodded, glad that she knew the way. "Thanks a lot, I will inform my friend and then we are ready to go. I'll be back in five minutes."

While she waited, [Y/N] made sure that her weapons and tools were either secured or packed away safely and true to his word, the man returned shortly after, introducing her to his companion in a language she could not understand.

"I am Saab", he finally spoke when they were making their way out of the city. "My friend over here is called Harsim. He doesn't talk much though." She smiled politely at the stranger that looked very similar to Saab as he also had dark hair and eyes and wore the same clothing.

"[Y/N], nice to meet you. If you don't mind me asking, what was your business here? I don't see people of your land very often, to be honest."

Saab scratched his head. "We just wanted to see the world. I love my home but I wanted to see the ocean and trees, anything but sand really."

"It is same for me. And I like... how you say? Adventures." Harsim's accent was even heavier that that of his friend and he talked more slowly, as if he had trouble speaking English. Perhaps that was the reason why he didn't talk that much during their walk just like Saab said.

When the sun set, they set up a camp near the edge of the forest, lighting up the area around them with torches and a big fire in the middle. [Y/N] had suggested that they take turns keeping watch instead of building a shelter every night, so that they were able to travel faster. The huntress took the first shift, standing upright with her back towards a tree so that no skeleton would be able to shoot her in the back. With her bow in her hand and her sword by her side, she was ready to attack should any mobs approach them.

Both men snored lightly in front of her next to the fire. A soft wind caused the leaves to rustle quietly and an owl screeched in the distance. Already two hours had passed and nothing had happened, which was good. However, [Y/N] couldn't shake the off the feeling that something was not right.

_Maybe I should have just pointed them the way... then again they had no idea about the canyon we passed earlier and might have gotten lost again while trying to get around it._

A tired yawn escaped her lips, perhaps she should wake Saab for the next shift. Looking up, she frowned. The moon was nowhere to be seen and thus she could not make out how late it was. The unpleasant knot in her stomach intensified even more when she realized that this could not possibly be a lunar eclipse, as she clearly remembered seeing it in its full glory just yesterday. That left just one explanation and there was no way she would go to sleep and risk their safety. No, she had to stay awake. Straightening her back, [Y/N] was on full alert once again.

Another hour went by when she heard a crack somewhere behind the tree she was leaning against. _Clack crack_. Even closer this time. She did not move and waited patiently, gripping the end of her bow tightly. The white bones of a skeleton emerged from next to her and she swung her bow, hitting it straight in the head which then came off and rolled to the floor, the rest of the body following with a loud clatter. Pulling an arrow out of her quiver, she walked past the tree in case there was more than just one monster.

"...[Y/N]? Where are you?", a very tired Saab mumbled, sitting up and rubbing his eyes.

 

[Friction - Imagine Dragons](https://youtu.be/o0aoh363PI4)

 

"I'm over here", she answered quietly, not wanting to alert more mobs, and returned to the camp, standing in front of the tree again. "It was just a skeleton, nothing to worry about."

He nodded and looked up at her. "What time-" But then he stopped abruptly, his eyes growing wide. He lifted a shaky hand and pointed over her head. Without delay she whirled around, bow drawn. In all honesty, she already knew what she would be facing and that it was useless trying to shoot him.

As expected, white eyes greeted her and she lowered her bow, still ready to shoot should he threaten her companions. She would not let that happen, they were under her protection. A surprised gasp could be heard behind her as Saab woke up his friend who was fully awake once he saw _him_ up in the tree, one of his legs was propped up on the branch he sat on and the other dangling from it as he smirked at them.

Within the blink of an eye he was gone, and a sword stuck in the wood where he just sat, still wiggling slightly from the strength it was thrown with. [Y/N] turned around again when she heard a strangled cry. Herobrine had teleported to Harsim who had thrown his blade at him and grabbed his throat, lifting him off the ground and pressing the poor man against a tree, choking him.

Pulling back the string again but not letting go just yet, she raised her bow towards Herobrine's neck and took careful steps towards them until the tip of the arrow almost touched his skin.

"Let him go." Surprisingly enough, he complied and Harsim fell to the ground, coughing violently. Quickly, the huntress stepped between him and her companion that laid there defenseless. With the little distance between their bodies, it was almost possible for her to see the outline of his irises that glowed a tiny bit stronger than the rest of his eyes. She pushed her weapon towards his chest threateningly, only to have it ripped from her grasp.

" _I know you're not stupid, so don't_ do _stupid things, little adventurer._ " His voice was a lot colder than last time and it had a dangerous undertone to it. Behind her, Saab rushed over to his still coughing friend, dragging him away from the one that caused him harm. This gave [Y/N] the opportunity to take a step back and she drew her sword, holding it in both of her hands so that it couldn't be taken away from her again. His lips became a thin line and he stretched out his hand. Pitch black particles floated around it and out of thin air, he summoned his black obsidian sword. " _Don't say I didn't warn you."_

With that, he stepped forward, swinging his blade towards her face in a curved, horizontal line, his body spinning around once in a fluid motion. He made it pretty obvious that he was not messing around. Instead of blocking, the huntress chose to duck and sidestep instead of blocking as that would use up too much of her energy considering his strength. Herobrine's sword clashed into the tree, splintering the wood, but instead of getting stuck like she had hoped it would, her opponent pulled it out with ease.

This was not a battle she could win. Luckily she didn't have to. From the way he was holding himself back, she could almost tell he was putting on a show for his reputation.

With that thought in mind, she circled around him, her sword raised in a defensive position, pretending to wait for his next strike. In reality, she was just turning herself around so that she was able to subtly point Saab and Hirsim the way they needed to go to reach their home behind her back, so that Herobrine wouldn't be able to see it, playing along with his game. Confident that they got the hint, she continued to circle her opponent so that his back was facing them. With an apologetic gaze and a silent 'thank you', they disappeared into the night. She could only hope they would find their way.

Almost too caught up worrying about them even though she didn't even know them, she almost missed the blade that was heading towards her body dangerously fast. Dodging the attack yet again, she swung around, trying to catch the moment he needed to recover his stance. Herobrine was fast though, so he easily blocked her, metal clashing again dark stone. [Y/N] was too slow to pull away again and with one push against her blade, Herobrine threw her off balance. Her back collided with the ground, stones poking her flesh painfully. Rolling to the side, she threw a glance at the ground where she just laid, his sword sticking in the dirt.

"Is this really necessary?" He did not give her a chance to stand up, swinging his sword again, this time grazing her right calf. With a pained gasp, she pulled herself backwards until she hit something solid and uneven - a tree. "Come on, it's not a fair fight." Raising her hands in surrender, she gave him a weird grin.

" _I can't believe you seriously thought that I wouldn't notice your puny attempt to let them escape_ ", he deadpanned, letting his sword disappear again. The female just shrugged.

"It worked, didn't it?"

Leaning down, towering over her slumped body to emphasize his superiority, his hands back in his pockets, Herobrine smirked at her. " _What makes you think I won't go after them right now? You're injured, you couldn't catch up to them to stop me if you wanted to._ "

"Something tells me you would let them go so they can tell more rumors about how scary you are." Herobrine hummed and straightened up again and she extended her hand. Surprisingly enough, he was kind enough to help her up.

" _I assume something also told you that I would not kill you once you initiated that fight?_ "

Hobbling to her backpack on one leg, she carefully leaned down to pick up some white cloth and a small bottle she had purchased in the town. Propping her injured leg up on another tree, she proceeded to disinfect and quickly bandage her injury. It was unpleasant and painful, but she had worse; walking would be a feat, though.

When the silence finally grew awkward, she turned around to face him again before answering: "No."

" _I must say that you really are the weirdest mortal I have yet encountered._ "

Shrugging, she slowly sat down next to the still burning campfire, laid on her back with her injured leg propped up and stared into the sky. "Thanks." She turned her head to see him still standing where he helped her up and patted the ground next to her. Albeit grudgingly, he came closer and sat down next to her. "Hmm, Herobrine?" It felt weird to say his name.

" _Yes?_ " He refused to look at her and ripped out some grass instead.

"Do you like my company or why is it that you won't leave me alone?"

A deep chuckle rumbled through his chest. " _Most would have asked by now why I have not killed them yet. And then there's you."_

 _"_ You didn't answer my question!", she whined, sprawling out her arms. Picking some more grass up, he let it fall into the palm of her hand that was the closest to him, not quite aware of it.

" _You're impossible._ "

Frustrated, [Y/N] turned to the side so that she leaned on one elbow, she poked him in the side of his torso. "Answer my question."

" _Fine. Yes, I tolerate you_ ", he finally mumbled and turned his face away, missing the sly grin on her face. Laying her head down onto her arm, she closed her eyes, some of the grass from earlier that sill clung to her hand now sticking onto her face. She had been awake the whole night and the fight had robbed her of her remaining energy. "... _what about you?_ "

When Herobrine did not hear a sarcastic remark in return, he looked back to see her sleeping already, grass all over her face. Gently, he picked the green blades off her soft skin, noticing how nice it actually felt. He couldn't help but to linger there for a moment, before touching her hair, caressing it softly. [Y/N] twitched in her sleep for a moment, mumbling something inaudible before turning onto her stomach, the hand she previously laid on now grasping his' and holding on tightly.

With wide eyes, he stared at her, completely thrown off-guard. Not wanting to wake her, he slightly pulled his hand away, only to have her pull it under her head as a pillow. It went from bad to worse when she subconsciously snuggled into his palm, her lips touching the base of his thump. He could feel how his cheeks became warm and most likely red. Not only had she entrusted him with her life again, seeing as there was nothing else but his presence protecting her from the monsters, but she also had to do _this_?

Too bad teleporting would not solve the problem, as she would wake from the energy his body would give off once he de-materialized. As her soft breathing tickled his skin and her lips moved against his thumb, most likely caught up in a dream, he decided to _tolerate_ the awkward position a little longer.

 

•••

 

The sun stood high in the sky making her blink in confusion, her eyes straining to get used to the light. Twisting to take in her surroundings, her gaze landed on the remains of the fire that had died down. Had she really fallen asleep in the middle of the conversation? Speaking of which, the man in question was nowhere to be seen. Judging from the lack of monster-attacks, he must have stayed at least till sunrise.

[Y/N] rubbed her eyes and tried to stand up, yelping when a sharp pain in her leg stopped her in her movement. _Right, the injury._ Perhaps she should have bought a healing potion, but then again they were too expensive. Attempting to stand once more, albeit this time more carefully, she picked up her sword that was still laying on the ground from their fight and used it as a temporary crutch, its tip slightly sinking into the ground each time she took a step. After slinging her backpack over her shoulder, she began her little journey to the river that was nearby where she would clean and re-wrap her wound. It was a really nice location if she had to be honest, having been there for countless times during the summer.

On the way there, her thoughts wandered to Hirsim and Saab. Those poor men must think she's dead thanks to them - if only they knew what really happened. Actually, what had really happened? Yesterday's events were somewhat hazy, she had been so tired she could barely remember how she had laid down next to the fire again. In the back of her mind, the memory of something foreign, warm and soft, that she had used as a pillow surfaced... or was that a dream? Shaking her head, [Y/N] tried to get rid of these thoughts that were making her cheeks crawl with warmth and distracted herself the rest of the way by counting the wild animals she encountered.

 

The water was crystal clear as always and had a comfortable heat to it, as it passed multiple underground magma-spots not too far away from here. Taking off the bandage and shoes and rolling up her trousers, she slowly let her legs glide into the water and hissed. It burned, but the burn felt so relieving and good. It was as if all the invisible dirt was washed out of her wound, sending shivers of pleasure down her spine. Her sore muscles relaxed and she leaned backwards to lay down, her lower legs and feet still in the water.

And somehow, she could _feel_ his presence, even though he was neatly hidden by the forest.

"Come here, it's nice." A heavy sigh was his answer, his slow and heavy steps let her know his position and she twisted her head to look at him upside-down. Sitting down next to her head, he started playing with her hair, ignoring the strange look she gave him.

"What are you doing?"

" _Playing with your hair, obviously. You seemed to like it._ " When did he- oh right, last night.

The woman pouted and crossed her arms over her chest. "Congratulation, you found my biggest weakness. H-hey! I didn't say you could stop..."

Herobrine shook his head, grinning. " _Is abusing stranger's hands as a pillow also one of them?"_ Her face went redder than the Nether from embarrassment. " _Or drooling on them?_ " His face now hovered above her head as he teased her, liking how her face looked when she did not have control for once.

"Nooo...", she whined and turned away from him onto her side, but he wouldn't have that. Placing one hand on either side of her head - now on all fours - he leaned down yet again, whispering into her ear.

" _Did you know you talk in your sleep?_ " Her body whipped back around, mouth wide open, horrified what she might have said. " _Don't worry, it was all nonsense."_ Though, he was curious. What was it she might have dreamed about that she reacted this way?

As her mouth closed again with a relieved sigh, he couldn't help but stare. The position the were in didn't help in the slightest. It was all too close, he could feel her breathing, see every detail in her eyes and got lost in them. They were drawing him in relentlessly and to his surprise, she didn't move even as he got closer. No squirming, no uncomfortable shifting, just her staring back at him.

" _Why are you doing this?_ " Although it sounded empty, his question meant so much more. Why was she not afraid? Why did she bother being nice to him, this monstrosity? Why did she allow him to be so close, why did she  _want_ this?

"Somebody once told me that until we have seen someone's darkness, we don't really know who they are." She paused and blinked once, nervous. "That until we have forgiven someone's darkness, we don't really know what love is."

Her lips tasted sweeter than any revenge.

**Author's Note:**

> If you enjoyed it, please take your time to write a comment.  
> Found any typos or errors? Tell me, please. No matter how insignificant they might be.


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